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Anatomy of a Moral Panic

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Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#61

Post by bigiain »

ocfnash wrote: post #12

This is a good piece but I have one nit: it is incorrect to say "thermite [...] will not detonate." I was shocked to discover this first hand some years ago: http://olivernash.org/2009/11/12/fun-with-thermite/index.htm... I can still recall the echoing boom of that (copper) thermite.

I recall a high school chemistry demonstration where they made flour "explode". (From _vague_ 35 year old memories, a coffee tin with a spark plug and an assembly that blew compressed air in through the flour to distribute it in a mist...)

I'd stop short of claiming that flour "detonates" or that flour purchases are terrorist indicators...

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#62

Post by racer-v »

Cleisthenes wrote: post #22
cisanti wrote: post #20

Well written piece. I stopped reading news after Trump got into office and I have no shame about it. It feels great and I don't I miss out on anything. When people talk or ask me about politics I just say I don't know because I don't read. They make s surprised face and then continue talking and arguing about absolutely pointless topics and about the upcoming apocalypse. I just hope someone tells me an hour beforehan…

That was your lesson from this? Stick your head in the ground and pretend politics is pointless? Ignorance of politics is a luxury afforded only to citizens of authoritarian regimes. You live in a democracy (assuming that discussion of Trump in politics means you live in the US). Politics is how society chooses to make and use government. People pretending they are morally superior or lead better lives through ignora…

Democracy is to power what pornography is to sex.

Do you really think that participating in scuttlebutt about the reality show of presidential politics has anything to do with governance?

The first step is to turn off the noise and take direct action to help the people around you.

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#63

Post by kermittd »

ryanmarsh wrote: post #29
Cleisthenes wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was your lesson from this? Stick your head in the ground and pretend politics is pointless? Ignorance of politics is a luxury afforded only to citizens of authoritarian regimes. You live in a democracy (assuming that discussion of Trump in politics means you live in the US). Politics is how society chooses to make and use government. People pretending they are morally superior or lead better lives through ignora…

Pay for good journalism Where? He that is without sin among them, let him cash the first check. I’ve checked out too. The S/N ratio is way past what my filters can handle. I either need algorithmic filtering or noise attenuation. The fact is we’re all part of an intersubjective reality. It’s impossible for me to determine what is fake news and anyone who claims they can is fooling themselves or has primary sources.

Off topic but have you read Homo Deus?

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#64

Post by mikestew »

As one who has not reloaded ammunition in a number of years, I’m going to guess that the only reason Amazon won’t sell you black powder (or gun powder) outright is due to shipping restrictions. Which means instead of buying the ingredients with a highly-trackable transaction from Amazon, your low-budget terrorist will have to resort to buying the powder pre-made, and anonymously in a cash transaction from the local gun dealer. Last I checked, they’ll sell you big cans of the stuff for cheap.

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#65

Post by Mindless2112 »

bigiain wrote: post #61
ocfnash wrote: post #12

This is a good piece but I have one nit: it is incorrect to say "thermite [...] will not detonate." I was shocked to discover this first hand some years ago: http://olivernash.org/2009/11/12/fun-with-thermite/index.htm... I can still recall the echoing boom of that (copper) thermite.

I recall a high school chemistry demonstration where they made flour "explode". (From _vague_ 35 year old memories, a coffee tin with a spark plug and an assembly that blew compressed air in through the flour to distribute it in a mist...) I'd stop short of claiming that flour "detonates" or that flour purchases are terrorist indicators...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#66

Post by [deleted] »

Cleisthenes wrote: post #22
cisanti wrote: post #20

Well written piece. I stopped reading news after Trump got into office and I have no shame about it. It feels great and I don't I miss out on anything. When people talk or ask me about politics I just say I don't know because I don't read. They make s surprised face and then continue talking and arguing about absolutely pointless topics and about the upcoming apocalypse. I just hope someone tells me an hour beforehan…

That was your lesson from this? Stick your head in the ground and pretend politics is pointless? Ignorance of politics is a luxury afforded only to citizens of authoritarian regimes. You live in a democracy (assuming that discussion of Trump in politics means you live in the US). Politics is how society chooses to make and use government. People pretending they are morally superior or lead better lives through ignora…

[deleted]

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#67

Post by dqpb »

cisanti wrote: post #20

Well written piece. I stopped reading news after Trump got into office and I have no shame about it. It feels great and I don't I miss out on anything. When people talk or ask me about politics I just say I don't know because I don't read. They make s surprised face and then continue talking and arguing about absolutely pointless topics and about the upcoming apocalypse. I just hope someone tells me an hour beforehan…

I ignore my memory monitoring tools for the same reason. It feels great not worrying about all the processes about to OOM. Id pay for a service to email me once a month to tell me if my site is down. If I care I can just sift through the logs later.

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#68

Post by KGIII »

Yossarian1 wrote: post #51
vvanders wrote: post #19

I used to do rocketry about 15-20 years ago, we had some pretty stringent requirements back then for the high power stuff(G+ impulse motors). I'm kinda surprised that the hobby hasn't been shut down completely given how hysterical some of the media can be about this stuff.

I'm pretty sure you can just buy black powder in the store for muskets. You don't even have to go through the trouble of buying all the ingredients off Amazon and mixing them.

In most States that is true. NY has restrictions in it, and I think CA does. Federal law allows up to 50 pounds of the stuff, before you need a permit. You can buy it at your local outdoor/sporting goods stores.

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#69

Post by KGIII »

sixothree wrote: post #54

Wait, so will Amazon ship magnesium, iron oxide, and aluminum powder all in the same box? That sounds kinda scary to my layperson ears.

About as likely as cooking ingredients somehow turning into a caked during shipping. Even an accident involving fire isn't likely to result in any additional risk. They get mixed in certain proportions and it takes some work to get them refined enough to be ready for ignition. Additionally, ignition requires a goodly amount of heat.

Re: Anatomy of a Moral Panic

#70

Post by JauntyHatAngle »

treehau5 wrote: post #53
whorleater wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> First of all, we don't have a direct democracy. This isn't an argument against being informed, it's a pointless debate over semantics. You and anyone reasonable understood what GP meant, they meant democracy as a "national built on foundations of democratic values, such as freedom of press, freedom of speech (to varying extents), right to assemble, etc" in contrast to "authoritarian regime where those values are no…

> You're probably free to move to an authoritarian regime if you cared to. No one chose to be born into a government system, but to claim no responsibility in a system that you've benefited from since you were born is passing the buck. Ah yes, the "if you don't like it, you can go back to where you came from" argument, in different clothing of course. This is just never a good rhetorical device. What a person did or…

>Ah yes, the "if you don't like it, you can go back to where you came from" argument, in different clothing of course.

I really don't think that is a fair analogy to what he was saying. He's saying if you grow up in a particular system you can't just ride it out and claim willful ignorance.

Go back to where you came from is different, that would be saying you chose to come here and therefore why are you trying to change it.

I don't necessarily agree with either argument, but they are definitely significantly different ones.

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